Lucy Snape and the Tale of the Knights (Book One)

(Extras) The Tale of the Knights as we know it so far

(Extras) The Tale of the Knights as we know it so far. 

The life of the world in the times, was usual. The towns people lived in harmony, living under the honour of their king and lawful sons. The pride of the islands, the world even, lay still and peaceful.

Until one day.

The king stood proudly with his two sons, Arthur and Jonathon, admiring the parade that had been set out for them in their return from the Great War. Everything stood out, the women dressed in gold, the man of the street applauding as the horses and men rode by.

But as the men rode on, a man stood out from the crowd and startled the horses. Jonathon fell from his cavalry and onto his back, the other brother cantering slowly behind his father. The king addressed this murder

“Who be the one that stands on our land?” he shouted

“I am no one” the man replied and smiled while bowing. As soon as this was done, he released two sharp daggers. The crowd retreated rather than attack, pig’s squealing in the market. The dagger flew though the crisp air to the king’s head, and the crown upon his head nearly fell.

But one brave man, one who saw this happen, stopped a different story from occurring. The dagger stopped in mid-air between the king’s eyes and the assassin yelled in dismay. The man ordered the dagger to fly into the assassin with his wand, and the evil devil killed no more.

But the king was none other than pleased. He dismounted his horse and yelled at the man

“Who are you!”

“I am Merlin. I travel from England to watch the king.”

The king’s face crinkled in many pieces. “Magic is a curse to all! The devil is in your eye!”

“No, Sir,” begged the young Merlin “ I save you out of honour for life!”

But this had no effect. Suddenly attention was drawn to the body lying on the floor. The king whimpered and ran towards it.

“MY SON! MY HOLY SON!” he yelled and whipped his red cloak out the way, the young man drenched in blood. His eyes faced many a way, and his back seemed to be dislodged in a horrible manner. A knife lay in-between his eyes as the king cried and held his lost son.

“This dagger should rest between my eyes!” the king whimpered, “Why such a felon?”

“But father, only one dagger was thrown” Arthur, the older son, said calmly. The king pushed aside a loose hair from his dead sons head and laid his head down.

“You killed my son” he snarled. Merlin stood his ground as the knights approached; many disguised looks smacked into him. Merlin ran away, the heavy armour of the knights preventing anyone from catching him, and the king’s men with bows and arrows could not pierce the magic that fled.

Sadness filled as the remorse of the lost son filled through the islands. His funeral was held and the king vowed revenge. Anyone who reported magic in their towns was hung, any magicians who where rumoured to have healed, protected or killed people where slaughtered in front of the crowds. It soon became known as the ‘year of the slaughter’, the world living in fear as the cloud of the dead slowly engulfed the rest of the world, everyone fearing the people who were ‘different’.

They would practically murder anyone who claimed or was suspected of sorcery the punishments could be worse than hangings...some days people got inventive by chopping up the victim and then spreading the remainder of the body parts around the town (formally known as hung, drawn and quartered.) Even if some were vagabonds they would simply be killed, they were sometimes called 'wizards undercover.'  And if some were fortunate they would be used for target practice for fellow knights at the castle and may I add they were very crafty with a bow and arrow so wizards never got out alive.